Rookie Cho A-yean claims 2nd title of season in playoff
Rookie Cho A-yean birdied a third playoff hole to beat Choi Hyejin to win the OK Savings Bank Se Ri Pak Invitational, Sunday.
Cho, Choi and Kim A-lim hit a 17-under 196 in regulation play at the 6,329-yard par-71 Elysian Gangchon Country Club in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.
The three moved back to the par4 18th for an extra hole to decide the winner.
On the first playoff hole, Cho and Choi whacked their tee shots onto the fairway while Kim hit hers in the rough. Cho went first for her second shot, hitting a great one near the hole and creating a chance for birdie. Choi went second, following suit, but a touch closer to the hole. Kim hit her approach slightly far from the hole. Cho and Choi ended the hole with par but Kim bogeyed the hole, dropping out of the race.
In the second playoff, Cho and Choi hit good tee shots in the middle of the fairway. Cho hit her approach first with pinpoint accuracy, but a touch past the pin. Choi hit her second shot slightly to the left of the pin for mid-range putt. Both ended the hole with par.
In the third playoff, Choi went first, sending her approach onto the green but way short of the pin; Cho hit a perfect shot, creating an opportunity for an easy birdie. After her second perfect shot, she displayed a big grin on her face.
After converting the short stroke into a birdie, she finally sealed her second victory for this season. Choi missed her birdie try. No sooner had she rattled her ball into the hole to triumph, than she raised her arms high with a big smile.
Asked about the missed putt on the last hole in regulation play, the 19-year-old said, “I could play well as I kept on focusing on my shots, playing confidently. But facing the putt on the 56th hole, it occurred suddenly that ‘This is a champion putt.’ And with a lapse of concentration, I missed the makeable putt.” “My father comes to mind first. He always points out my swing faults and I’m happy I could prove I can win.”
Rookie Cho started the final round with a 14-under 128, seeking her wire-to-wire second win this season. She had pulled off a flawless 7-under 64 on Friday and Saturday for a two-way tie for the lead with Choi Hye-jin.
Cho rattled off her first birdie of the final day on the par-3 third, shaking off Choi to sit atop the leaderboard. Cho took the initiative in the tight one-to-one contest. Birdying the sixth, she extended her single-shot lead to two.
Cho led Choi by three strokes when the latter had her first bogey thrust on her on the 8th.
After making the turn at 16-under, three shots clear of her closest rival, Cho pulled her tee shot into the fairway bunker on the 10th. But she got through the hole without incident, when golf fans expected Cho to cruse to a bogeyfree win.
Cho shared the lead with Choi with four holes to play when the latter birdied the 14th. However, remaining self-confidence, she hit the green in two from 142 meters on the par-5 15th, creating a chance for an eagle. After a tap-in birdie, she took the sole lead again, two strokes ahead of Choi and a stroke clear of Kim A-lim, who eagled the 17th.
Standing on the par-5 17th tee, Cho shared the lead with Kim A-lim waiting at the clubhouse after capping her final round with a birdie. Intrepid Cho put her second shot on the left side of the green from 232 meters, setting up a chance for an eagle. After an almost tap-in birdie, she got back her sole lead before she headed for the penultimate hole with a single-shot advantage.
However, after pushing her tee shot into the rough, Cho hit her approach short of the green from 121 meters. She made a nifty chip shot near the hole from roughly 30 meters, facing a short but daunting and testy putt. Unexpectedly, she ended the hole with a three-putt bogey, going into a three-way playoff. It was her first bogey of the week.
One of the runners-up Choi started the final round, sharing the lead with Cho after rattling off an incredible 10 birdies with a lone bogey on Saturday. She beat the course record set by Jang Ha-na earlier on the same day.